Top Flowers for Fall Color

Sunflowers

Most of you have planted those giant annual sunflowers with heads as big as Luciano Pavarotti's. But you've probably missed out on perennial sunflowers. Their blooms may not be as huge, but one plant can produce hundreds, and the show goes on for weeks.

Swamp sunflower (Helianthus angustifolius) and willowleaf sunflower (H. salicifolius) look similar, though the first one blooms later and has wider leaves. They're both tall (definitely for the back of the border) and feature multitudes of 3-inch yellow daisies with brown centers. They spread quickly in moist, fertile soil, so they'll always be with you.